FOOD FOR THE LAMBS;
OR,
HELPS FOR YOUNG CHRISTIANS.
BY CHAS. E. ORR,
Author of "Christian Conduct," "The Gospel Day," etc.
* * * * *
"Feed my lambs."--_Bible_.
* * * * *
Reprinted 1980
PREFACE.
There is much more I should like to write, but I do not think a large
book is accepted by the general reader as readily as a smaller one. So
lest this grows to too great a size, I have concluded to close it with
what I now have written. The selections I have made from other writers
are "Spiritual Declension," "Seek First the Kingdom of God," "Stirring
the Eagle's Nest," "The Little Foxes," "On Dress," "Victory," and the
poems "The Solitary Way," "Sometime," and the closing.
I pray that the sayings of this little volume will animate many a soul
to a higher, nobler, holier life. Although it is written to young
Christians, it may do some good to older saints. I hope it will. I
commit it to the public with no other motive than to do good.
CHAS. E. ORR.
Federalsburg, Md., Sept. 15, 1904.
CONTENTS
Introduction
Mortality
Feeding the Lambs
Who Are Christ's Lambs
Food for the Lambs
On Fruit Bearing
A Gazing-Stock
The Will
God Our Guide
_The Word Our Guide_
_The Spirit's Impressions_
_God's Providences_
Fragrance
Seek First the Kingdom
Prayer
Meditation
Reverie (Poem)
A Theater
Rest of the Soul
Happiness of Life (Poem)
The Hidden Life
Consciousness of God's Presence
Reflection
Becoming
Love of Home
Victory
The First Love
The Little Foxes
Spiritual Declension
Diligence
Lowliness
On Dress
The Elixir of Life
Rules for Every-Day Life
A Holy Life
A Solitary Way (Poem)
Stirring the Eagle's Nest
Some Things You Should Not Do
Purity
Means for Growth
Lay Hold of Eternal Life
Crucifixion of Self
Love Not the World
Have a Care (Poem)
Affinities
The Guardian Angel
Fledging the Wings
Some Time (Poem)
The Precious Ointment
The Tree of Life
Eternity
Nearer to Thee (Poem)
Conclusion
Closing Exhortation
INTRODUCTION.
Out upon the sea of human life sails many a bark. But, alas! how few are
sailing tranquil waters. Ascend with me to some solitary height and let
us take a view of the innumerable human crafts as they sail out upon
life's broad ocean. Many are being tossed to and fro upon the angry
billows. Hope is almost gone. As they look forward into the distance all
is dark and uncertain. In the early days of their voyage all was
peaceful. They looked out over the broad expanse and saw only calm,
contented waters, and hope beamed bright. They fancied themselves
anchoring, in a ripe old age, in a beautiful haven of rest somewhere
behind the setting sun. But they sailed only in the strength of human
art. Storms unexpected arose, and winds adverse beat upon them.
The high, wild, angry billows threaten their destruction, and they
despair of ever entering their fancied golden port. Above the blackness
of the raging storm there is extended a delivering hand, but they see it
not. Their eyes are not upward; they are upon the turbulent waves. Oh,
how sad! How pellucid would have been the waters and how serene in glory
their voyage, if they had embarked in the strength of Him who at their
request would have said to the angry waves, "Peace, be still," and all
would have been at rest.
Yonder in the distance we see gay, glittering crafts sailing about in a
state of unrest. Some are sailing out upon the sea of worldly pleasure
in search of happiness. See them rush wildly about. Yonder they seem to
see bright, golden waters and hope that true pleasures are to be found
there. But, alas! just beneath the surface all is dark and murky and
bitter. Some are sailing out upon the highways of worldly fame and
honor, others upon the wild stream of worldly riches, all searching for
rest and finding none. See the surging, tossing mass of human barks and
hear their wail of disappointment as the sweet, golden waters turn to
bitter wormwood and gall. The rainbow-colored bubbles, from their
hoped-for fountain of joy, burst upon the air, leaving them empty-handed
and restless-hearted. Above the wild din of their clamor speaks a soft,
tender voice, saying, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are
heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." But their ears are not turned to
catch sounds from above; they hear only the siren song of an enchanting
goddess--the world.
Down toward the setting sun we see many shattered vessels going down in
a wild vortex. The waters are closing over them. They found that human
strength was inadequate to life's voyage. They, having weathered many a
storm, hoped to gain the peaceful harbor. But, alas! they are overcome
at last, and, lamenting the day they ever set sail, they go down without
hope. From the ethereal heights of inspiration I hear a chiding voice
saying, "O had ye hearkened unto me, then had your peace been as a
river, and your righteousness as the waves of the sea."
You, my dear young Christian reader, have just embarked upon life's
untried ocean. You have laid hold upon One who is mighty to save and
strong to deliver. Underneath you are the everlasting arms. Push out,
then, boldly into the broad expanse, fearing nothing. You can escape the
perils of the deep, only by making God your refuge. Anchor your faith in
him and see to it that your faith never breaks anchor. The billows may
threaten, the storms may rage; but by faith you can beat them back, and
sail out on unruffled seas. God pity the one who attempts life's voyage
without the aid, cheer, and comfort that Heaven gives.
Make the Word of God your compass, and obedience the rudder that steers
your little bark in all the ways God's commandments point you; and make
faith the mighty cable, and you will be towed safely past the dangerous
rocks and reefs and threatening billows into the peaceful haven of
eternal rest.
Across the deep and wide unknown
The bark of life sails on:
Who thinks to trust to human art
Shall perish mid the storm.
The other shore far distant lies,
Wild billows intervene,
And dangers little known arise
To try the strength of men.
Man lays his purpose and his plan,
He fixes sail to-day;
But winds adverse sweep o'er the main
And turn him from his way.
Man's wisdom can not know the end,
Nor future courses see:
Whoever sails in human strength
Sails mid uncertainty.
Man has a strong inveterate foe,
So subtle in his art;
He tries the strength of human craft
And finds the weakest part.
By human strength man can not sail
O'er ocean's troubled breast:
God's hand alone can e'er prevail
And bring him into rest.
MORTALITY.
In plant, animal, and spiritual life mortality is greatest in infancy.
The plant in the first few days of its existence is very tender and
delicate. It will succumb to the winds if they be slightly too cool, or
to the sun's rays if they be too warm. The smallest insect feeding upon
one of its tiny roots will cause it to die. After it has formed more
roots and they have gone deeper into the earth and the plant becomes
stronger and coarser it is far less liable to destruction. The chilly
winds may blow or the sun's rays may pour upon it; it now has the power
of resistance, and so lives on.
The same is true of animal life. Mortality is far greatest among
children in the first few hours of life, and lessens as they grow older.
Only a slight current of cold air upon the newly born infant is likely
to cause its death. The new life is not yet able to resist opposing
elements, so it must be carefully guarded. As it grows stronger and
becomes capable of adapting itself to the elements of the outside world
it can with comparative safety be brought into contact with them.
What is true in the plant and the animal world is also true in the
spiritual world. You who have but recently been born of the Spirit are
not as able to resist the cold winds of persecution or the heat of fiery
trials as those who have been deepening and widening in the grace of
God. Guard carefully the new-born life of Christ in your soul. Seek an
establishing grace in sanctification, and you will be strong in the Lord
and fully able to cope with the dark powers of sin, Satan, and the
world, and triumph over all in Jesus' name. In the days of your infancy
we offer you our help in this little volume, and assure you a frequent
remembrance in fervent prayer.
FEEDING THE LAMBS.
Some years ago when attending to the work to which the Lord had called
me in one of the sunny Southern States it was my happy privilege to
enjoy for a few days the kind hospitality of a generous Christian
farmer. One balmy afternoon while walking over the pleasant fields of
his large farm, with my heart in sweet communion with God, I came upon
the most beautiful flock of sheep it had ever been my privilege to
behold. They were quietly grazing in a rich green pasture, near by which
silently flowed a deep, broad river. To me it was a fair reminder of the
"still waters" the Good Shepherd gave promise to lead his sheep beside,
and the "green pastures" he promised to make them to "lie down in."
From beholding this beautiful fleecy flock I learned a lesson which I
hope never to forget. The principal cause of their well-developed frame
and handsome appearance was, they were _well cared for when they were
lambs_. Since then I have often remembered, and felt the import of, the
command the Savior so tenderly gave his shepherds--"Feed my lambs." Over
and over has it in all its strength and beauty been breathed anew by the
Spirit in my soul, animating me to greater assiduity in caring for the
precious lambs of his fold. And, thus, I shall prove my love to him by
doing all I can in caring for his lambs.
Lambs need something more than feed; they must be sheltered from the
cold wind and cruel storm. Feed them ever so well, but if you expose
them to the wintry storm, they will die. In John 21:15 the word _feed_
is translated from the same Greek term as is the word _feed_ in the 17th
verse; but in the 16th verse the word _feed_ is translated from an
entirely different Greek term. In this verse the Greek does not mean
simply to feed, but to protect, to shelter, to tend. The shepherd's duty
is not only to feed the lambs, but also to guard them from the wolves
that are seeking to devour them.
WHO ARE CHRIST'S LAMBS.
It is those who are young in Christian experience whom the Savior calls
lambs. The shepherds that are to feed them are his ministers. A lamb is
one of the most meek, tender, and tractable of all the young animals,
and very fittingly represents one who has received the meek and tender
spirit of Christ. Christianity in its nature is meek and mild. It
converts the wolf into a lamb and the leopard into a kid. Young
Christians are, therefore, beautifully spoken of as lambs, whose nature
is mild and gentle. Christ's lambs are those who have received into
their hearts his lamb-like spirit. They are those whose hearts and souls
have been touched and thrilled with the mildness and tenderness of
divine life; those in whom the "hidden man of the heart" is robed in
righteousness and adorned with "a meek and quiet spirit," which is
precious before God.
You might robe a wolf with a lamb's skin, but it would still be a wolf.
A person may profess to be a Christian: but unless he has a change of
heart and affection; unless he has been made meek and gentle by the
Spirit of the Lord coming into his heart, he is only a wolf, after all,
and not of the Savior's fold. Jesus speaks of some who put on "sheep's
clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." By "wolves" he means
men and women with wicked hearts. They profess to be Christians; but in
their hearts are envy, pride, hatred, jealousy, love of self, and love
of the world. They may appear quite lamb-like in public life, but in
their hearts no change has been wrought by the transforming power of
God's grace. To be "Jesus' little lamb" is not only to have a
profession of Christianity, but to have the heart cleansed by the blood
of Jesus from envy, pride, malice, love of the world, etc., and filled
with meekness, gentleness, and love.
A good old prophet in olden time, looking forward to when Jesus should
come to save people from their sins and speak peace to troubled hearts,
said, "He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the
lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom." When you were
wandering in the deserts and mountains of sin, Jesus, the true shepherd,
came seeking for you, and now that you have given yourself to his loving
care, always confide in him and yield to his guidance. Ever keep your
hand in his and follow where he leads, and your life will be full of joy
and terminate at last where there will be pleasures forevermore.
FOOD FOR THE LAMBS.
Of course, it is very important to know what foods are most conducive to
the growth of lambs. The apostle to whom Jesus gave the command "Feed my
lambs" has said to those lambs, "As new-born babes desire the sincere
milk of the Word that they may grow thereby." 1 Pet. 2:2. Milk is the
aliment which the nature of the newly born infant demands. The infant
instinctively receives it with a readiness. It is the natural and most
proper food. It is the food above all others for the sustaining of life
and the promotion of growth. So the glorious doctrines of the gospel are
the natural and most proper food for the Christian. The newly created
life in the regenerated soul instinctively turns to the word of God for
nourishment. It is the natural food for the new life. Nothing else can
be substituted for it and growth go on unhindered. Without this food the
Christian will die. "Man shall not live by bread alone," says the Great
Shepherd, "but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
[Illustration: "He shall gather the lambs with his arms and carry them
in his bosom."]
The Christian has a twofold life: he has both physical life and
spiritual life. As bread sustains physical life, so the word of God
sustains spiritual life. I beseech you most earnestly, my dear young
Christian reader, to ever remember that you can no more live a spiritual
life independently of the word of God than you can live a physical
life independently of bread. If growth in grace is worth anything to
you, and eternal blessedness in the sweet fields of heaven of any value,
keep this ever in mind and act accordingly. As with the physical being,
so it is with the spiritual. There must be appetite, eating, digestion,
and assimilation, that the word of God may impart life.
Remember, it is the sincere milk of the Word that you need that you may
grow thereby. Sincere is from the Latin _sincerus_, which is derived
from _sine_, meaning without, and _cera_, meaning wax; honey separated
from the wax. Milk to which has been added chalked water may yet have
much the appearance of milk, but it has lost its nourishment. So the
word of God with the slightest adulteration will not meet the demands
for spiritual growth. The word of God, without modification or
exaggeration, without taking from or adding to, is the only wholesome
food for your soul, and may you "eat in plenty" and "grow up as calves
of the stall."
ON FRUIT BEARING.
The following beautiful language is found in Isa. 51:3: "For the Lord
shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will
make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the
Lord; joy and gladness shall he found therein, thanksgiving, and the
voice of melody." Zion is a metaphor signifying the church of God. It
is, therefore, the church which the Lord will comfort and whose
wilderness will be made an Eden. But what is the church of God? This is
a very important question; one which all people should fully understand,
and one which is very easily answered. You will learn at once by reading
Eph. 1:22,23 and Col. 1:18,24 that the church is the body of Christ,
and in 1 Cor. 12:27 we are plainly told that Christians are the body of
Christ; they are, therefore, the church of God. Dear reader, if you are
a Christian, you have been born of the Spirit; you have passed from
death unto life; you have been translated from the kingdom of darkness
into the kingdom of light; you have been created anew; you are,
therefore, a member of the body of Christ, and all such members make up
the church of God.
The children of Israel were the church of God in the old dispensation,
and he dwelt in a tabernacle or temple they built for him. In this more
glorious gospel dispensation those who have been born of the Spirit and
made pure in heart are the church of God. In this Holy-Spirit
dispensation we do not build temples for the Lord to dwell in; for "know
ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God
dwelleth in you?" 1 Cor. 3:16. "What? know ye not that your body is the
temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye
are not your own?" 1 Cor. 6:19. In this blessed gospel day Christians
are the "habitation of God through the Spirit." If you are a Christian,
God dwells in your heart; your body is his glorious temple. This is a
most stupendous thought, but it is true. In your soul is the sweet
heavenly manna, the budding rod, and the ark of the covenant
overshadowed by the cherubim of glory.
When God created man He placed him in a garden which He had planted
eastward in Eden. In this garden God made to grow every tree that was
pleasant to the sight and good for food; also, the tree of life and the
tree of knowledge of good and evil were in this garden, and a river to
water it. It is said that God "walked in the garden in the cool of the
day." That was in the day of literal things. We are now in the day of
spiritual things, when our bodies have become the temple of God through
the Spirit, and our hearts his lovely garden. It is in this garden he
dwells; it is there he walks. See 2 Cor. 6:16. When the south winds blow
and the spices flow out he comes into his garden to eat his pleasant
fruits; he gathers the myrrh and the spices, he eats honey and drinks
wine and milk. See Cant. 4:16 and 5:1. This is sweet language, and is
expressive of the purity of the Christian heart, where God dwells, and
where he walks in the gentleness of his Spirit, delighting himself in
the tender Christian graces that are budding and blooming all along the
peaceful avenues of the soul. Like as the gentle south wind blows upon
the flowers of the garden and scatters the fragrance; so the Spirit of
God fans the heavenly graces implanted in the heart, and a fragrance
flows out of the Christian life, awaking admiration in the minds of all
who come into its presence.
The trees that were pleasant to the sight and good for food in the
literal garden of Eden symbolize the graces of the regenerated heart,
which are lovely to behold, which feed the souls of those who look upon
your noble Christian walk, and which become a "tree of life" to the
desert hearts of men. In the garden of the Lord blooms the rose of
Sharon and the lily-of-the-valley. These are beautiful emblems of the
Christ-life in the Christian soul. The river which flowed through Eden's
literal garden represents the deep, broad river of peace which flows in
the heart which has tasted of redeeming love.
A young heart filled with the mild, meek spirit of Christ, and a young
life laden in rich profusion with kind words, generous deeds, and
gentle, modest ways, is the most beautiful object that ever graced this
mundane sphere. Angels look down and marvel, and throughout all heaven
is awakened songs of joy and praise. It is your privilege to be filled
with Jesus now; to be clothed in white and walk in purity. It is also
your privilege as you journey down life's way to grow more kindly; to be
more and more like Jesus; for the sweet graces of heaven to bloom more
beautifully in your heart and life; and the beauty of your young
Christian life to give way to more beauteous ripened age. If you attend
to all Christian duties and live in prayer and devotion to God, your
soul will become more and more weighted down with the riches of heaven,
and, looking out through the casement, your soul will hail with joy the
convoy that has come to bear it to its home of eternal rest.
The Savior in speaking of himself said, "I am the vine," and in speaking
of Christians he said, "Ye are the branches," and speaking of God he
said, "My Father is the husbandman." This very clearly and strikingly
illustrates the duty of a Christian, and the position he occupies.
Christians sustain the same relation to Christ that the branches do to
the vine. As the branch receives life through the vine and bears fruit,
so the Christian receives life through Christ and bears fruit. The
object of fruit bearing is the glory of God. You should be desirous of
bearing as great an abundance of fruit as possible, and do all you can
to increase your fruitfulness, since "herein is God glorified, that you
bear much fruit."
The apostle Paul in speaking of Christians said, "Ye are God's
husbandry," 1 Cor. 3:9. If you will examine the Greek text you will
find that a more proper rendering would be, "Ye are God's field." Greek
scholars tell us that the Greet term from which husbandry is translated
in our common version signifies a cultivated field. It answers to the
Hebrew word _sadeh_, which means a field sown and under cultivation.
From this you will be enabled to yet more fully understand the true
position you occupy under God. You are his fertile field, where he has
under cultivation the precious fruits of the kingdom of heaven. The
Husbandman has rooted up every plant that he has not planted, and sown
there the seeds of righteousness.
Not only are your hearts the "garden of the Lord" where blooms the
"rose of Sharon" and the "lily-of-the-valley" in all the sweetness of
their fragrance and beauty, but they are also the Lord's fertile field,
where the amiable Christian graces are to bud, bloom, and bear fruit.
Your duty as a Christian is to bear fruit for God, that he may be
glorified. Every fruit-bearing branch, therefore, he purges, that it may
bring forth more fruit. The successful farmer carefully removes all the
foreign growth out of his field, and then cultivates his plants, that he
may reap the greatest possible harvest.
Delicious fruits are brought from the tropical clime to this land of
ours, and they awaken in our hearts an admiration for that delightsome
country. We long to travel through those sunny lands. You are God's
fertile field. In your life has been placed the beautiful fruits of the
heavenly land. As this world looks upon your life and beholds these
fruits admiration will be awakened in their hearts for the fruitful
fields of heaven. They will be influenced by your life to seek the
kingdom of God and its riches, that they may taste of its fruits now and
forever. If you will walk with God and live devoted to him, those
precious fruits of the Spirit will become more plentiful and beautiful
in your life as you journey down the way, making you a greater blessing
to the hearts of others. To this end you must live.
A GAZING-STOCK.
In Heb. 10:33 it is said that Christians are a gazing-stock. The world
is looking upon your life. You have taken upon you the profession of
Christianity. If you live a pure and holy life, God will be honored;
others gazing at you will see that Christ lives in you, and many will
give to God the glory. You must be willing to be gazed at by the world.
You must let your light shine.
Your holy life will be a savor of life or a savor of death unto those
before whom you live. So do not think you are living to no purpose. Some
one is looking on every day, and if you will walk uprightly, it will
tell for God. What a privilege you have of living a life that God will
use to the salvation of some and to the condemnation of others! You must
be interested in living a pure, clean life, and live your very best each
day, so that you will not be ashamed before God to be a gazing-stock for
the world.
THE WILL.
Among the different faculties which God gave to man in his creation is
one called the _will_. It is because you have this faculty that you
become a responsible being. Before the first man and woman in the garden
of Eden God placed two laws--one was the law of obedience, and the
other, the law of disobedience. These were subject to their choice. They
could will to obey God and live forever, or will to disobey and die.
Before all men are placed two ways--one is called the way of life, and
the other, the way of death. These are subject to their choice.
Therefore, the will is called that faculty of the soul by which we
choose or refuse things.
The will is capable of cultivation. By the exercise of your will you can
refuse to do wrong things, and thus strengthen your will-power. Men have
attained extraordinary heights of morality by the exercise of the will
in right-doing and refusing to do wrong. This is noble and beautiful,
but there is something more noble still and more beautiful. The moral
man wills to do right because it is right, while the Christian wills to
do right because it is the will of God and pleases him.
Although man can not by the exercise of his will-power in right-doing
evolve into a Christian, the will plays an important part in the
formation of Christian character. It is true, the will is most usually
led by the affections of the heart; therefore the writer of Proverbs
said, "Out of the heart are the issues of life." The heart must,
however, get consent of the will before its desires are fulfilled. Here
is a truth of vast importance to the Christian.
Many people's wills have become so in bondage to the impure affections
and desires of their depraved hearts that they have no will to do right
and shun the wrong. The desires of the heart sway their scepter of power
over the will, and it acts to the granting the heart its wishes. This is
a sad picture. A human being created to be free, but now a wretched
slave. When he wills to do good evil is present with him; the good he
would do, he does not do; and the evil he would not do, that is what he
does. O miserable man! A person who has rejected the mercy of God and
has yielded to the inclinations of an unholy heart until he has no
power to accept the offers of mercy and shun the ways of sin, is an
object of the greatest pity. To him there is no hope of escaping the
damnation of hell.
There is a time in the life of every rational young man and woman when
they can accept the blessed offers of salvation which God extends
through his Son, if they will. God gives the Holy Spirit to operate upon
the depraved heart, making it to feel something of the realities of a
Savior's love and goodness, and something of the awfulness of sin. The
Holy Spirit does not take hold upon the will and compel it to serve God,
or force it into right action. He just takes hold upon the heart,
suppressing its love for sin, and awakening desires for a better life,
thus removing the unrighteous scepter the heart swayed over the will,
giving the will freedom and power to accept or reject the mercies of
God. While the impure affections and unholy desires of a depraved heart
are being restrained by the power of the Holy Spirit, before the will is
set the way of life and the way of death, each subject to choice. Now is
the time for whosoever will to come and drink of the water of life
freely, and whosoever will now call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved.
Not only does the will act an important part in securing the salvation
of the soul through the offered mercies of God, but it is the purpose of
God that the will act an important part all along the Christian way.
After the Christian enters through the "strait gate" and steps out upon
the "narrow way" that leads to eternal golden glories, he is not carried
forward in a "chariot of fire" through the journey of life and crowned
at the end with eternal blessedness irrespective of his will. Often it
is true that the soul is carried blessedly onward in the way of life on
the wings of joy, without any apparent exercise of the will; but how
often Good seems to have deserted or forsaken us, Joy has hid her
smiling face, and Good Feelings have departed, and we are left to serve
God and attend to our Christian duties from choice of will. God wants
our life service to be a willing service. It is necessary, therefore,
that he apparently forsake us and permit dark powers to engage us. It is
that our wills may be exercised. The Psalmist says, "I _will_ go the way
of thy commandment; I _will_ keep thy testimonies," and let us all say
amen.
The blessings and joys the Lord bestows upon us are the rewards of
willing service, for which things you should be very thankful; but never
let them influence you in your conduct toward God. There have been
those, who, in the hour of seeming desertion, refusing to use their
will-power, have turned back to the world. This is faint-heartedness and
cowardice, ignobleness and unmanliness.
Every faculty of the body or soul that is unused or unexercised will
weaken and die. The muscles if unused will grow weak, the mind if unused
will weaken, and the will if unexercised will lose its power. Should God
always keep us soaring aloft on the wings of peace and joy and
blessings, without the exercise of the will, this important faculty
would degenerate into weakness and slavery. O may my young readers arise
in the strength of their manhood and womanhood and use, in choosing and
doing the right, the will God has given them. The tempter may come, yea,
will come, and endeavor to get some of the affections of the heart set
upon the world; but you must reject all such temptations, and by the
force of your will set your affections on things above. God does never
will for us, but he gives us power to will if we will but use the power
he gives us.
You are exhorted by the Scriptures to "work out your own salvation with
fear and trembling." The "crown of life" lies at the end of the
Christian race. When we step over the boundary between time and eternity
our salvation is then eternally secured. Praises be to God! It is for
this crown of amaranthine glory, or blessed eternal salvation, that we
are to watch and labor with fear and trembling. O may you be very
careful! Be watchful, lest something should hinder you in your Christian
race, and you miss at last the blessedness of heaven. Guard the
affections of your heart with the strictest vigilance.
I said above that God would always give us power to will, if we would
but make use of that power. For proof of this I shall refer you to Phil.
2:13, which in our common version is rendered thus: "For it is God which
worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." The meaning
of this text is not so readily comprehended by this version as it is by
some others. By Conybeare and Howson it is translated in these words:
"It is God who works in you both will and deed." Upon examination of the
different translations we find the meaning of this text to be this: "It
is God that gives us power _to will_ and _to do_ his good pleasure." In
the verse preceding this one the apostle tells us to "work out our
salvation with fear and trembling," and then he adds for our
encouragement, "God will work in you the power _to will_ and _to do_
that which will secure your eternal salvation." Never say, "I can't."
Here is something which will prove very valuable to you in your
Christian life if you can only get to fully comprehend it: You can do
nothing; your will is powerless without God and his grace, and God can
do nothing in you without the consent of your will. God does everything,
and we do everything: we are to purify our hearts, and yet it is God who
purifies our hearts; we are to make us a new heart, and yet it is God
who gives us a new heart; we are commanded to work out our salvation,
and God gives us power to do it. God furnishes the power; we are to do.
Do not think that God will act for you. He will give you power to act,
but he will not do the act for you. Do not, therefore, say, "I can't."
You can do "all things" through Christ, who strengthens you. You can
serve God in a way acceptable to him; you can keep your mind stayed on
him; you can pray; you can resist the devil and temptation and be an
overcomer; you can endure unto the end--you can do "all things" by the
grace and power of God, and he will always give you power to do his
pleasure. Do not serve and praise God only when he gives you blessings
and joy, but serve him and praise him when the way is dark. Have a fixed
decision of the will to serve God no matter what the feelings may be. Be
thankful to God for the will-power he has given you, and use it
manfully, nobly in his service. Do not cower and tremble before
temptation. You are to "fear and tremble" before God, but never before
trials, temptations, sin, nor the devil. God will cause you to triumph
by giving you power to will. Be steadfast, be faithful, fix your will
unswervingly to serve God, and in due season you shall reap if you faint
not.
GOD OUR GUIDE.
This is a dark world of sin, error, and uncertainties. It is weak and
transitory. Man, God's chief and highest work in the things of creation,
is weak, ignorant, and can of himself do absolutely nothing. Though he
may have a most scholarly mind, he can not peer with any degree of
certainty one hour into the future. Who knows what the morrow may have
in store? Life may run about the same as to-day, or fortune may come, or
misfortune. Man may plan for the future, but the plan may never be
carried into effect. It is not in man to direct his way.
There is one, however, that knows all future things and shapes the
destiny of man. We are invited to commit our way unto him. He has
promised to guide us with his eye. Life lies before us like an unknown
sea, none know how many days' journey it is across, nor how much
sunshine and shadow there may be on the way. With the unknown expanse
before me, and I, in my ignorant finiteness, not knowing which way to
take, rejoice exceedingly in my heart to be permitted to commit my way
unto Him who makes the clouds his chariots, and rides upon the wings of
the wind, and stills the wave. He knows the best way and will direct in
tender care my every step. He guides me with his eye, and leads me by
his own right hand beside the still waters and into green pastures.
Why are there so many anxious hearts, so much unrest, so many
discontentments and fears? It is because man is attempting to direct his
own way. He feels his weakness, and fears; he knows his ignorance, and
becomes anxious. How blessed to walk out upon life's way trusting in God
and casting every care upon him! The waves may sometimes dash around our
feet, but we are looking up unto Him who shall guide us continually. The
secret of a happy and successful life is to let God lead us. When we get
in a hurry and pass on ahead of the Lord, devising, contriving, planning
over our work and way, then come fears and failures.
Many Christians find it difficult to know the will of God and understand
his leadings. Many hearts are longing to know God's will and way. You
may always know. Do not hurry, only wait, pray and trust, and God will
plainly and unmistakably teach you his way and give you a sweet
consciousness in your soul of his guidance. Sometimes it may require
long waiting. I have for months been almost daily praying and sometimes
rising a great while before day to seek God beneath the stars to know
his will in a certain matter. Sometimes it seems I must act, but God
whispers in sweet stillness, "Only wait."
The Word Our Guide.
In many affairs of life we need no guidance other than the Word of God.
"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psa.
119:105. Much reading of the Scripture will impart wisdom and knowledge,
and be a help to us in directing the affairs of life. You may have a
difficult matter to settle with your neighbor. Open your Bible and read:
"Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them."
Quite likely this will enable you to settle the matter in perfect
satisfaction to all. Some one may have done you much harm, now what must
you do? Open your book of guidance and read: "Dearly beloved, avenge not
yourselves ... vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." Thus,
much of life's duties and affairs can be determined and decided by the
Word of God.
The Spirit's Impressions.
The Holy Spirit is given us for a guide. With respect to our conduct and
our duty, we often feel the impressions of the Spirit. The Word of God
tells us to give of our goods as the Lord has prospered us, but the
Spirit may often impress us as to where to give.
We feel impressed by the Spirit to give, we feel impressed to go to a
certain place, we feel impressed to pray for such a one, we feel
impressed to fast and pray, etc. Many a precious soul that once was full
of joy and fatness is to-day in unrest and leanness because these
impressions have been resisted. But are there not impressions given by
an evil spirit? Most certainly, and these impressions have led many an
honest soul into the wildest of fanaticism. Thank God, by living very
humble, with all our motives very pure, and by acquaintance with the
Word of God, we may know the voice of the Spirit of God and that of the
evil spirit I have known people to receive and obey impressions to fast
and pray that were given by Satan. God's Word and God's Spirit favor
fasting and praying, but both are bounded by sound judgment; and in such
matters we should not follow a spirit beyond what common sense would
approve.
It is blessed and beautiful to be led by the Spirit of God. If its
impressions are not resisted, but encouraged by cheerful obedience, they
will lead us into a blessed felicity with God and a deep acquaintance
with him. An evil spirit's whisperings can be very easily detected by
one who has much communion with the Lord. Recently while standing on a
steamer's deck it was whispered to me that the steamer was an ill-fated
vessel, and that I never should see home again. At first I did not know
but that it was the voice of God, but soon I felt attempts being made to
cast over me a tormenting fear; this aroused my suspicion that it was
not God speaking, and to be convinced I allowed the spirit to talk on.
For a while it tried to torment me with fears that I should never see
the dear ones at home again, and then said, "You may as well cast
yourself overboard into the deep." Ah! now I knew the Satanic spirit and
I rebuked it in Jesus' name. I reached my home in safety. Praise the
Lord! Try the spirits by the Word; Satan will soon expose himself.
God's Providences.
In the sure guidance of God we have his Word and his Spirit and also his
providences. Again, we would say, oh, how blessed to await the
providences of God! His providences are always in favor of the
righteous. "All things work together for good to them that love God."
How many can look back through their lives and see how the providences
of God have directed their ways. They may have planned, but God's
providence overthrew and brought better things to pass. Trust in the
providences of God, commit your way unto him, patiently wait, and he
will guide you into the way that is best. Never get in a hurry, but wait
on the Lord, and he will always make the way plain before you. I have
learned never to take a step until I know it is ordered of God. In the
providence of God, Joseph was sold to a company of Ishmaelites and cast
into prison and thus brought to be ruler over all Egypt. In the
providences of God, Kish's asses went astray and Saul being sent in
search of them was led to the prophet Samuel, who anointed him king
over Israel. You may meet with losses, all things may seem decidedly
against you; but be patient, trust in the providence of God, and in time
you will see his kind favor.
If you value your happiness and success in life, wait on God. If you do
not know which way to go or what thing to do, wait until you do know.
God will surely guide you; he will open the way clear and plain before
you. When he has given you full assurance, then go forward in all
security. Mountains may rise before you, but he will pluck them up and
cast them into the sea. Rivers and seas may lie across your path, but he
will divide the waters and let you pass through. Live humbly and only
for the glory of God. Trust in him with all the strength of your soul.
See that all motives are as pure as heaven. Prayerfully seek a knowledge
of God's will, patiently wait on him, cheerfully and promptly obey when
his will is known, and he will lead you in the path of security,
strewing the way with blessings and glory, and make your life one golden
gleam of light across this dark world to lead others to the Lamb.
FRAGRANCE.
Every saintly life on earth, is a sweet fragrance unto God, and every
sinful life is a stench in his nostrils. As the rose scents the evening
air, so a pure life scatters a sweet Christian influence and a knowledge
of God throughout the world. The literal translation of 2 Cor. 2:14
reads thus: "But thanks be to God, who leads me on from place to place
in the train of his triumph, to celebrate his victory over the enemies
of Christ, and by me sends forth the knowledge of him, a stream of
fragrant incense, throughout the world." A saintly life diffuses a
sweet, heavenly fragrance throughout the world, and brings a knowledge
of God and the nature of his salvation to the minds of men. Let me
exhort you, therefore, to a pure life, a life full of devotion and
reverence to God. You can make your life, by God's grace, a constant,
flowing stream of fragrant incense, whose sweetness will linger long on
the air after you have passed to higher realms. So may it be.
SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM.
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all
these things shall be added unto you." Mat. 6:33. An injunction of much
importance is here given. Verses 24 to 34 of this chapter show how
beautifully it is in the plan of God to care for his own. We are taught
to have our trust in God for what we eat, for what we drink, for what we
wear--for all the necessities of this life. We are referred to the fowls
of the air and the lilies of the field, which take no thought for their
life, but live in their happy, independent way, without care or trouble.
These God cares for and says we are of more value than they.
What a valuable lesson we are to learn from this! But is it really true
that we are to have the same degree of freedom from care or anxiety that
the fowls or the lilies have? We shall also ask, Is it really possible?
This lesson surely teaches that we are to have such a trust in our
Maker, and therefore it must be possible. The apostle Paul instructs us
in Phil. 4:6, "Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto
God." And in another place, "I would have you without carefulness." Our
lives are to be free from worry or anxiety about anything and
everything. This feature alone of the divine life, or this principle
alone in the economy of God's gracious plan, ought to represent
salvation as a thing greatly to be desired. But in the face of this
people fail to see anything desirable in it, because by their unbelief
they hold such a life to be impracticable. By this kind of unbelief the
enemy of souls deprives many of their privileges in Christ and hinders
the world from seeing the real nature of the salvation experience.
How the world is estranged from the principles of righteousness! How it
holds light to be darkness and darkness to be light! Instead of
accounting that there is any reasonableness in such trust in God as is
shown in this lesson they would fain be selfishly taking upon themselves
the responsibility of maintaining their own existence, and thus every
one seek for his own gain. Thinking that they thus have an excuse for
not devoting their time to God's service and their spiritual welfare,
the things of the Lord are forgotten and neglected, and their souls
consequently are lost. When will individuals learn that they have a
spiritual as well as a physical existence, and that the spiritual is the
more important of the two? Seek first the kingdom.
But the fact that we wish to bring out most prominently is that many
Christian professors, who are supposed to be examples of the Christian
life, do not comprehend the import of the test "Seek ye first the
kingdom of God." The mistake is made on the word _first_. They think to
obey this scripture by first gaining the profession of salvation,
presuming then that the blessings of the kingdom will follow, while they
live as selfishly as before and dig deep into the things concerning the
unrighteous mammon. In so doing they fail to experience the blessings of
the kingdom, and also misrepresent the kingdom to the world. The word
_first_ means not only first in time, but first in _importance_; and
this idea of _importance_ must ever be held before us, not only when we
enter the kingdom, but throughout our whole Christian life. We are to
hold the kingdom of righteousness _first_ in all our lives. If we hold
God first in everything and consider what will be to his glory before
we consider our own, we give God a chance to fulfil his word, and his
own good pleasure in us will be accomplished. We then place ourselves in
the order of his plan where it will be possible for him to do as he has
promised.
The salvation life means an unselfish life. We are not to seek selfish
glory in anything, but seek the glory of God _first_--above everything
else. It has been remarked concerning certain ones who were struggling
for an earthly existence, that if they would only get saved "all these
things" (all earthly necessities) would be added unto them. But it is
not those who merely get saved that can claim this promise; it is those
who _keep saved_ and carry out the principles of the plan of
righteousness. "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness" in
everything. Lose your own individuality in God, consign your all to him,
live for his glory in all your life, then "all these things shall be
added unto you."
PRAYER.
Upon this subject and the one following I have written in other works
very similarly to this; but since these subjects are so well adapted to
a work of this nature I can hardly feel willing to leave them out. If
you have read very similar words to these in other productions of mine,
I hope the rereading of the subjects will not be time spent to no
profit.
The value of prayer can hardly be estimated. Unless you are willing to
take up a life of prayer and keep it until the close, you had just as
well not take up the Christian profession. Without prayer you will die.
Some one has expressed it thus:
"Prayer is our life, our soul's triumphant wings,
The arm that holds the shield and hand that takes the crown;
Along the line on which a thousand faithful prayers ascend,
Surely God doth send ten thousand blessings down."
What an honor it is to have audience with the King of glory! He extends
the golden scepter to us, and we come hopefully, confidingly, into his
presence and tell him all that is in our hearts. It is only because we
comprehend something of his great love to us that we venture to come
into his presence. Who would not consider it a great honor and blessed
privilege to be admitted into the courts of the lords and the kings of
earth? The greatest honor bestowed upon man is the privilege of coming
into the presence of God and conversing with him. Alas! how few
appreciate the privilege of prayer! How few can properly estimate its
true worth! Jesus by his example has taught us something of the worth of
prayer. His rising a great while before it was day to hold communion
with the Father, and his spending all night in prayer to him, teach us
something of its importance. If it was necessary for Jesus to spend so
much time in prayer, how much more necessary for us.
Prayer is the energy and life of the soul. It is the invincible armor
which shields the devoted Christian from the poisoned missles shot forth
from the batteries of hell. It is the mighty weapon in his hand with
which he fights life's battles unto victory. He who lives in prayer
reigns triumphant. His soul is filled with the peace of heaven. Power
is given him over sin and the world. By prayer all storm-clouds are
driven away, mountains of discouragement are cast into the sea, chasms
of difficulties are bridged, hope is given wings, faith increases, and
joys abound. Hell may rage and threaten, but he who is frequent and
fervent in prayer experiences no alarm. By prayer the windows of heaven
are opened, and showers of refreshing dews are rained upon the soul. It
is as a watered garden, a fertile spot where blooms the unfading rose of
Sharon and the lily-of-the-valley; where spread the undecaying,
unwithering branches of the tree of life.